Background There are multiple media platforms and various resources available for information on COVID-19. Identifying people’s preferences is key to building public confidence and planning for successful national health intervention strategies. Objective This study examines the sources of information for COVID-19 used by the Malaysian public and identifies those that are associated with building public confidence and positive perceptions toward the Malaysian government. Methods A cross-sectional online survey of 4850 Malaysian residents was conducted. Participant demographics, media use, information sources, and attitudes surrounding COVID-19 were assessed. Descriptive statistics and multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to gauge the relationship between demographics, information sources, and attitudes toward COVID-19. Results Malaysians primarily used television and internet news portals to access information on COVID-19. The Malaysian Ministry of Health was the most preferred source of COVID-19 information. Respondents who referred to the Ministry of Health, television, and the Malaysian National Security Council for information were more likely to believe that the country could win the battle against COVID-19 and that the government was handling the health crisis well compared to those who referred to other information sources. Those who used the World Health Organization, friends, YouTube, family, and radio as sources of information were less likely to harbor confidence and positive belief toward combating COVID-19. Conclusions Managing information and sustaining public confidence is important during a pandemic. Health authorities should pay considerable attention to the use of appropriate media channels and sources to allow for more effective dissemination of critical information to the public.

The aim of this paper is to discuss the challenges and potentials of the Malaysian film industry from the perspective of the industry players such as filmmakers and producers. Malaysian film industry is a relatively small industry that caters to the need of a population of only about 27.5 millions. In the context of globalization, this small local market presents a challenge for the government in promoting the industry as part of a creative industry with great economic potential. With the influx of films from abroad, especially from Hollywood, the industry is struggling to the hilt to survive, as the bigger portion of the audience prefers Hollywood to local productions. For the government, one way of achieving this is to promote local films at the international level. To understand this situation from inside the industry itself, this paper, using data from in-depth interviews with 10 industry players, discusses the challenges faced by the respondents and how they perceive the potential of Malaysian films to travel globally.

The changes from analogue to digital in the film industry occurred rapidly and triggered a change in the landscape, especially in the usage of digital visual effects (DVFx). Thus, films that use the digital visual effects have developed a demand for technology exploitation among audiences. The most powerful effect afforded by digitization is the changes in the relationship between film and audience, especially in the aspect of cinema spectacle. Previously, the use of digital visual effects served merely to fix or modify damaged or negative elements in the post-production process, but it also has contributed to transformation of the tastes of audiences in 21st century cinemas. Tastes and aesthetic judgments are manifestations of aspects of class inequality and social, cultural and reproduction ideology. To evaluate tastes especially within different systems of society is not a simple matter as there has been a change in various aspects of society due to technological advances. This judgment involves complex processes and variables. This paper explored how globalization impacts audiences' changing tastes with the juxtaposition of the digital visual effects revolution. The research used qualitative research methods, which is focus group discussions involving three groups of moviegoers from Malaysia, India and Australia. The analysis of the findings is divided into two main themes: modernization and technology. In general, the findings show that taste among movie audiences is a typical representation of the middle class society.

Globalization of technology primarily in the field of film, media and communication studies has also impacted the creativity in visual presentation and storytelling. The occurrence of technological changes that involve creative work will undoubtedly lead to a new assessment of creativity. Hence, technology and creativity are likely to represent a new creative possibility and measurement in the field of film production. Digital Visual Effects (DVFx) provides new kind of creativity based on technology to the creative visual presentation and creative narrative enhancement. We have learned that story and narratives are the priorities that need to be secure in a movie; however, the spectacular element produced by using DVFx show the progress and development of technology used in the film production process, especially to the creative narrative. Hence the question that needs to address is; how these elements of technology integrated with the story and narrative filmmaking? Generally, this article will focus on the role and impact of DVFx as narrative techno-enhancement in the storytelling, and narrative presentation compared the technical visual presentation aspect. Precisely, this article analyses the impact on DVFx among professionals in Malaysia, India, and Australia's film industries to enhance creative narrative performance. Narrative interstate relies on our understanding of the use of technology to create and convey stories. Presentation of stories also means communicating and transferring the meaning to the audiences. In addition to functioning as narrative technoenhancement, DVFx opens the exploration of value in creative storytelling such as digital narrative and digital interactive storytelling for the audience in the 21st century.classical Hollywood narrative is an easy-to-understand narrative, with linear storytelling involving cause-and-effect structures, a goal-oriented protagonist and a simple solution at the ending. In a purer sense, linear narrative involves three phases; beginning, middle and ending. Previous scholars such as David Broadwell, Janet Staiger, and Kristin Thompson classify narrative linear as a narrative that tells the story clearly, vividly and has some element of entertainment. However, a movie should not follow the linear narrative arrangement, and it is not something that becomes standard in the worldwide film industry.Nonlinear narrative widely used in the 21st-century filmmaking as the storytelling pattern in this narrative is more challenging than the linear. Nonlinear narrative is a technique that portrays events in a story without linear chronology. This technique means that the beginning of the story can start with ending, climax, or in any other way. This narrative technique is widely used in horror, action and mystery movies, as it is capable of curiosity and hook to the audience. The use of this technique also often involves special impression techniques such as flashback, flashforward, and retrograde narratives. The development of today's film technology has enabled the st...

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